Chinese Censorship Makes a Move Into Tech Realm

(Bloomberg) -- Hi folks, it’s Shelly Banjo. Banned books and blocked websites are the norm in China. Now, as the tech industry and political leadership forge closer ties, there’s a growing sense here that we’re about to see a whole different level of censorship. 

This isn’t about the looming VPN ban, or President Xi Jinping’s bid to abolish term limits and cement his power. It’s about a deeper level of control and restrictions, encroaching into pop culture, entertainment and other seemingly apolitical content. Consider these developments: 

• Last November, China's Ministry of Culture said it would review 50 top mobile games like fashion game Miracle Nikki and war game King of Avalon for content deemed “harmful to socialist values.”
• Dozens of celebrity gossip sites and entertainment media on Baidu, Tencent, and Weibo were forced to shut down last year by authorities citing their “negative impact” on society. Popular news apps like Jinri Toutiao have faced temporary shutdowns for “spreading vulgar content.” 
• Micro-blogging site Sina Weibo lost $1 billion in market cap last June when regulators began banning live-streaming services.

So perhaps it’s no surprise Tencent, China's largest game provider, recently said it would roll out a slate of educational and serious games this year with “positive socialist values." The question is whether efforts by Tencent and other tech players to appease the newly-emboldened morality army will work. Will users be as enthused by games and videos with socialist values as those just designed as fun distractions?

In the past, censorship in China was mainly aimed at keeping masses from hot-button issues or sensitive party controversies, which could lead to popular unrest and topple regimes. No longer.

Now, we’re seeing bans on stuff that just doesn't jibe with socialist values. The list of no-nos includes seemingly innocuous things such as rap music, tattoos, celebrity gossip and Japanese anime. It’s no surprise that this will have a notable impact on China's leading tech companies, which got rich by hooking a nation of 1.4 billion people  on online entertainment, gaming and shopping apps. 

“Xi Jinping seems to have particular ideas about what proper culture entails,” said Victor Shih, associate political science professor at the University of California, San Diego. “His ascent to almost absolute power suggests he’ll use it to shape culture in China as he sees fit.” 

The societal mold that the government has in mind remains fuzzy; Shih points out that Xi came of age under Mao Zedong, when Chinese culture and media were tightly controlled by the party. Government officials promoted socialist values and ideas of order that Xi internalized, despite him and his family’s persecution.

With Xi likely to be in power for years (Mao ruled for 27 years), and the deepening links between technology and government, China is about to be reshaped in fundamental ways.

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To contact the author of this story: Shelly Banjo in Hong Kong at sbanjo@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reed Stevenson at rstevenson15@bloomberg.net.

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